Kids in Lake Nona are picking up lacrosse sticks and joining one of the fastest-growing team sports in the country. Although interest in lacrosse is surging today, it’s a sport played with a ball and stick that has existed since the 17th century. Originally played by men, it’s been modified through the years with greater numbers of women and girls becoming lacrosse enthusiasts.

As more girls want to play, Lake Nona Youth Sports is meeting the demand by offering its third season of SPEED Lacrosse™ for school-age boys and girls. SPEED Lacrosse™ is a simpler version of the sport, developed to appeal to both boys and girls and incorporate skills from basketball, soccer, hockey and tennis. It lets all players move around the field and interact with the ball more, with less standing and waiting that cause kids to lose interest.

“We’ve embraced the growing popularity of lacrosse by offering year-round lacrosse programs for the past two years,” said Coach John Chin, director of lacrosse for Lake Nona Youth Sports. “SPEED Lacrosse™ has been very successful, too, and we now have about 80 kids playing lacrosse in our community, gearing up for high school play.”

Coach Chin and Chris Rullan, Lake Nona High School’s lacrosse coach, recently hosted a Lake Nona community parent lacrosse meeting to answer questions and provide information. “We wanted to let parents know about our lacrosse programs and hear what we’re doing to accommodate the growing demand for girls’ lacrosse teams in Lake Nona,” Coach Chin said.

A lifelong avid lacrosse player, Coach Chin is a Level 1 US Lacrosse Certified Coach and served as the boys’ varsity lacrosse coach at Lake Nona High School during the 2016 and 2017 seasons.

Lake Nona Youth Sports started the Junior Lions lacrosse program four years ago after offering a free clinic to see if kids were interested in playing the sport. In 2017, the Lake Nona Youth Sports Board of Directors decided to align the Junior Lions lacrosse teams with the Lake Nona High School boys’ varsity lacrosse program.

“That helped prepare kids who were in middle school and enjoyed lacrosse to stay motivated and keep training and practicing for the opportunity for high school play,” Coach Chin said.

Both the high school and Junior Lions programs are gearing up for the fall season of lacrosse after SPEED Lacrosse™ concludes.

Visit LakeNonaYouthSports.org for more details about lacrosse programs for young athletes in grades 1-12.